“Folks in this neighborhood don’t always have easy access to fresh and affordable produce,” said Gamble. “I’m bringing it right to them.”

Using food acquired from the Bronx’s Hunts Point Market, the YUM program was launched by Isabella to help combat disease in the Washington Heights area by offering more healthy eating options.

Around Isabella, people perk up when they hear Gamble’s ringing bell.

For the site’s elderly residents who purchase from her cart, Gamble’s weekly visit is as much social engagement as a shopping spree.

“They enjoy me coming around,” said Gamble. “It gives them something to look forward to, as many of them are not able to go out much.” Gamble said she finds it rewarding to help connect people with healthier food.

Gamble rings her bell.

“I’m passionate about human health and people taking care of their bodies,” said Gamble. “If you eat better, you’ll live longer. I feel like I’m doing something good for people.”

Gamble’s routine customers also benefit from her personalized service — she’ll ask clients which items they like, and YUM’s produce buyer will acquire them.

“One guy was asking me for papayas and okra, so I made sure he got them,” she said. “I know what all my customers want.”

The YUM market was established five years ago.

When clients make special requests, Gamble will return the following week with a personal bag for them. She also shares recipes with customers and offers handy tips on everything from fruit ripening to nutritional content.

“I trade recipes with her all the time,” said Blossom Graham, a certified nursing assistant at Isabella. “I’m always finding out something interesting from her.”

Gamble said that bananas are by far her most popular item, as well as kale.

“Everybody’s juicing these days,” she said with a laugh.

Both the YUM market and cart have proven a hit with Isabella staffers.

“People can purchase stuff on their lunch hour, and then they don’t need to worry about shopping after work,” explained Gamble.

A year ago, Gamble suggested adding a mobile cart to reach more customers at the large Isabella complex — both employees who couldn’t tear themselves away from their work to visit the market, as well as elderly residents who were unable to come downstairs.

“It was essentially like taking YUM on the road,” remarked Ban. “It was a great success.”

Unlike many local fruit stands, which are only open in the warmer months, Isabella’s YUM market and cart operate year-round.

“I come here just about every week,” said Joanne Hamilton.

Both are open to anyone in the community.

Neighborhood resident Joanne Hamilton is a regular customer of the market.

“I come here just about every week,” said Hamilton, who resides on Hillside Avenue. “The fruit is much better quality than what you get on the street.”

Made possible through an initial grant from Atlantic Philanthropies and New York Community Trust, the YUM market is run by a group of volunteers from the community.

Gamble, who has volunteered at Isabella for the past five years, spends several hours wheeling her cart around the site every Wednesday.

She stays to catch staff members reporting for second shift, and even sells to teachers from nearby George Washington High School and P.S. 189.

“Word of mouth got out, and now people keep coming,” she said.

“But I don’t leave until I sell the last berry.”

The YUM Food Market operates every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Isabella, 515 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY. The market is open to the community. Payment is accepted in the form of cash, checks and EBT SNAP benefits. For more information about YUM or to become a market volunteer, contact Carol Ban at 212.342.9364.